Jesus Died...Then He Came Back

This Easter you will undoubtedly hear about how Jesus was tortured after being arrested. And you should, after all, it is important for us to understand that He suffered on our behalf. You’ll definitely hear about how Jesus died on the cross. And you should, after all, we all must remember that He sacrificed himself in our place for our sin. You will likely hear about how Jesus rose from the grave three days later. And you should, after all, that act was a testament to His power over death and opened up the possibility for us to rise above death too. Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection are indeed crucial parts of the story of his life as a man on Earth. It is vital that we understand their significance and what they mean to us. However, there is one thing that tends to get glossed over when we discuss the end of the story told in the Gospels. Jesus didn’t just die, rise, and then go to heaven. He didn’t just leave the world and the people he had lived amongst behind. He came back.

Maybe that part isn’t as important as some of the others, but it is still something we should remember. After all, we refer to Jesus as the “True and Living God” for a reason. He didn’t just die and become some ethereal spirit that humanity couldn’t perceive. He didn’t trade his ability to relate with us on the most basic level for a stature far beyond us. He made a point of coming back as he was to be among those that he loved. He had a purpose for coming back, and it was important for those he left behind. Consider his interaction with Peter in John 21:15-18:

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Peter didn’t see it at the time, but Jesus was redeeming him. Prior to Jesus’ death, Peter had denied Jesus three times. Here Jesus gave Peter a chance to symbolically walk back his sin. Jesus didn’t chastise or humiliate Peter for the latter’s betrayal. He simply gave Peter the opportunity to confess his love for Him as strongly as he had previously denied his association with Jesus. That is a good parallel for how God treats us. He could lord our sins and mistakes over us, but he doesn’t. He just requires that we acknowledge our sins, and then He gives us the chance to move past them. That’s not to say there won’t be consequences for our sins, but God certainly does not give us the punishment we deserve.

Jesus also gave Peter direction on what he should do going forward. This also parallels God’s general plan for us. Peter was instructed to lead Jesus’ people and build the church. Our marching orders aren’t quite the same, but they are important. As Jesus later instructed his disciples:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. - Acts 1:8

Those same instructions apply to us. As Believers we have accepted the gift of the Holy Spirit, and now that we have that gift, we should be using it to spread word about Jesus.

The Bible tells us that Jesus spent forty days with his disciples after the resurrection (Acts 1:3). He ate with them. He continued to teach them. Most important of all, he made it clear to everyone that he was still alive and there for them. He’s still here for us too. We serve an all-powerful God that could make himself inaccessible to us, but he doesn’t do that. He gave himself to the world in the form of a human being; a man that interacted with those around Him in a way that they could understand.  He also loved them in a way that we are expected to love those around us. Jesus was and still is the perfect example of who we should be. God used that human form to open the door for the invocation of his spiritual form, which now resides in all Believers and gives access to Him in a deeper way. The Bible tells us that Jesus will return to this world again to save those who follow Him (Hebrews 9:28). That’s a promise we know will be kept. After all, there was a time before when it looked like Jesus had left behind those that loved him, but he came back for them. That return made all the difference in the world for those followers just as his next return will make all the difference in the world for us.

Chris Lawyer

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